acting on impulse

Yesterday I impulsively signed up for this handmade toy swap.  Like I need to add a time consuming toy to my list of getting-ready-for-baby crafting that I want to get done in the next few weeks.  I decided to get right on it because, really, I wanted an excuse to make another doll.  It is so fun to see them come to life. Here’s today’s play by play.

First, there’s the head form.  This isn’t a totally kosher Waldorf doll because the materials aren’t completely natural– I’m using panty hose instead of cotton tubular stockinette because that’s what I’ve got laying around here.  It’s stuffed with wool, though!

toy swap WIP

Gotta cover that crazy looking lump with skin.

toy swap WIP

and give it a face…

toy swap WIP

Ahh, there she is!

toy swap WIP

Also, February 10th the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act goes into affect.  You can read all about it here, but in a nutshell congress passed a law to protect our kids from toxic chemicals in massed produced toys from China and didn’t think of all the ramifications of their new regulation.  Now ANY product marketed for use by children must undergo third party testing, which is fine for huge mega companies, but for moms sewing cloth diapers in their homes, or artists selling clothing or toys on etsy, this will essentially put them out of business.  Hopefully the powers that be will see the light and make some exemptions for small businesses.  It will be a sad day when the ONLY options we have for buying toys are those mass produced, lifeless plastic things…

more maternity sewing

Hi.  It’s me, the big huge pregnant lady.  The one you might have seen leaving her snowy driveway at 8:30 this morning so she could make it through the storm to her 9:30 birth center appointment.  The same one who called the birth center an hour later, just 3 or 4 miles from her house.  The one who left the GPS at home, but still thought she could bypass the standstill freeway and ended up completely lost.  Lost, going 5 miles per hour, frantically calling her husband at work hoping he could give her some directions, but no answer.   The one who called the birth center for directions and got the nurse who has only lived in Denver for 2 months and was as clueless as she was as to how to get headed in the right direction.  The one who finally got through to her husband’s voice mail and broke into tears, who fed her two little boys their lunch in the car  by 10 AM to keep them happy in the slow moving icy traffic, and then was miraculously called on the phone by her Visiting Teacher who gave her directions.  The big, crazy, frazzled pregnant lady who finally got to the birth center at 10:45.  After leaving home at 8:30.

Yep, that’s me.  I probably should have just turned around and gone back home when I saw how slow traffic was moving.

But, my visit with my midwives was good.  I have been Group B Strep positive with all four of my previous pregnancies– requiring that I have IV antibiotics during labor.  This time my test came back NEGATIVE!!!  I have been taking probiotics, eating lots of yogurt, and taking odor free garlic (when I think of it) and I got rid of those pesky bad bacteria in my guts!!  Is that cool or what?!

Also, I was wearing my green cordouroy shirt and the nurses and midwives were all perceptive enough to know that I needed compliments on it.  I made it after all.  Want to see?

hee hee

buttons and tummy gathers

It’s view J from Lovely Maternity Dresses.  I have made view E, but it ended up too big.  I was sure I’d need to make a pretty big size and after trying to study the Japanese size charts and deciphering what I thought were prepregnancy and pregnancy measurements and size charts I decided to opt for a size 11.  Turns out that the patterns take into account how actual people grow during pregancy, and so an 11 on my 5′ 2″ narrow shouldered, though swollen body was too big.  This one I made in a 9 and it is just right.  I’ll probably be wearing it almost everyday until this little guy pops out.

 another built by wendy maternity shirt

And here’s another Built By Wendy shirt.  Just with long sleeves.  Not quite as comfy as my green corouroy shirt, but will do when I have to take it off to do laundry.

And here’s my photography helper.

if only we could all be this cute

I’m always amazed that something this cute actually exists.  I think I can handle one more.

the homemade Christmas gifts :: 2

Did a week and a half really just go by since my last post?  How did that happen?  I better get on the ball and finish posting about our handmade Christmas gifts before it is way too far past Christmas.

bears for boys

For weeks and weeks before Christmas Logan would say, “When I get the teddy bear you make me for Christmas then… (fill in the blank with things like “I’ll always wrap him up in my mimi.” or “you can make him a little dresser and fill it up with jammies and a swimming suit.”)   So, I had to oblige.  Brenna has been totally attached to Buttercup for 2 years now, but the boys had no mama-made toys to snuggle.  I haven’t got that swimming suit made, or any clothes for that matter, let alone the dresser, but they are the perfect night time snuggle companions.  Here’s where I found them this morning:

teddy

Jonah’s Teddy

chubby wubby

Logan’s Chubby Wubby

the homemade Christmas gifts :: 1

So, has it really been since December 11th that I last posted?  Sheesh!  I’ve been so caught up in creating stable scenery for the ward Christmas pageant, a husband with Strep throat, sleepless nights with puking children (and parents), other intestinal problems of which I will spare you the details (they’re not pretty, let me assure you), gestating of course, and last minute holiday preparations and gift making, that it never even crossed my mind to make a blog post.  There have been several days that I didn’t even take a glance at the computer.  So, now I’ll play catch up, posting this week about the handmade gifts we gave this year.

These are my favorite, and the last ones finished.

Julie

 boy

I have wanted to try my hand at making waldorf dolls for ages and ages, but Brenna has never been much of a doll player and it always seemed frivolous to just make one for myself.  But, this year I decided I’d make some for Brenna and Ian whether they’d really like them or not, just to indulge myself.  I ordered my pattern and supplies, and then got underway.

Good news is, they are some of the favorite gifts this year!  Ian’s Boy has been a constant companion since it was unwrapped.  He snuggles him, sleeps with him, feeds him, and just carries him around.  Brenna has left me little thank you notes all around and on Christmas day she kept telling me, “I just want to keep telling you thank you.  I can’t say thank you enough times.  I love her!”

thank you mommy!

So, I was up late on Christmas Eve stitching and trimming hair and finally realized that clothes just weren’t going to get made by morning.  Barry had been saying the entire week that I shouldn’t stress myself out and just give the kids naked dolls.  So, that’s what they got Christmas morning.  But– the nakedness didn’t last for long.  Look what I got for Christmas!!

proof of how incredibly spoiled I am

A sewing machine and a serger!!  Can you believe it?  I’m still in shock.   I quickly got to work and made some panties, diapers, and clothes.

Julie's clothes

Brenna even knit a hat, and made a coat and mittens for Julie so she wouldn’t be too cold here in Colorado.

friendswinter clothes

JulieBoy goes everywhere

I just can’t even put into words how excited I am at how well they’ve been received.

But, this isn’t all.  We were hard at work on some other hand made gifts as well.

Stay tuned!